Difficulty score 35.

don in 5 min

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Done.

Still struggling with the first expert this week. Try my luck with todays.

much easier

What on earth were those cops doing shooting the black guys. From the video, they should be charged with murder. More wasted lived because of the US gun culture.

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Phil, we are a violent culture here, obsessed with weapons that we think will protect us from tyranny. Instead, they give us tyranny - or more precisely, tyrannies. If you're black, you're subject to one tyranny; if your a domestic abuse victim, another; if your in law enforcement, reverse tyranny. Root cause: guns and the culture of violence.

done. not as hard as expected

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" the culture of violence." I disagree. We live in a culture of comparison and measure, perfection vs human...when you are 'less than' there is something wrong with you you are told. You are not accepted for who you are as a person. Acceptance, appreciatiation, attention...those are installations of love; at the core - people do not love themselves, when a person does not love themselves, they CANNOT love anyone else...and those measures, perfection, comparisons day in day...breeds the anger which is going to spill out whether there is one gun or 1mm or 1bil guns...No, it's not a culture of violence. It's a culture which is devoid of love mostly and that void is going to filled with something; depression, anger, suicide, abuse, etc, etc...

Who is guilty here? Anyone who looks at a homeless person on the corner and responds with anything BUT compassion. That guys circumstances are different, his path is different, but he's human...and until that is the view everyone takes, nothing will change. Same with a black guy or a white woman...the genetic make up of ALL humans is 99.984% IDENTICAL. That means there is ONE race. The human race. When anyone uses the term 'black race' or 'hispanic race'...that person is racists as they are creating a difference in the moment between two humans. There is no difference. Once the concept of "human race" is adopted by people who "see" a difference, maybe some compassion can enter the conversation and comparisons, critiques, judgments, can exit...that will make a difference.

Guns. Not the problem. People. Are the problem...and it has NOTHING to do with guns.

lol, guns don't lead to domestic abuse tyranny, quite the opposite. Guns are the great equalizer. If your big, bad husband is beating you, a gun will certainly stop him! Blaming the tools instead of the people is exactly why we have problems. Blunt objects kill far more than guns do.

Stop violence? Ban cars. 1,000 people a day are killed by cars. Stop Violence? Ban alcohol. 250 ppl die every day from alch

Stop violence? 30 ppl a day die from someone elses gun

60 by their own gun...

Banning guns. Blaming guns. Is a straw man or a reflection of ignorance of context or a lack of perspective or comprehension regarding a much bigger picture...

"Ban guns" is a convenient way for people to 'opt out' of 'fixing the real issue". "Oh, I don't believe in guns"...so what! I bet this 'saintly person' would never hug a homeless person, buy a street person a roasted chicken from Costco, give a panhandler a $1 or a $5 gift card to subway..."Ban Guns"? No. Sorry. Guns are not the issue.

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Ik911, I think you make a great deal of sense....thanks for a thoughtful response

you're welcome.

What happened to the Stun Guns?. Those men would still be alive

As I said a week ago. We will not have any sane gun control laws in this country until the minorities shoot up Goldman Sachs. I abhor all violence and I feel terrible for all family members of any victims whether they be police, suspects, or innocent bystanders. But when you feel like you have a target on your back and your only recourse is to shoot first, this is what happens. This is what lk911 is saying. If you are an abused woman get a gun and shoot your husband. Well then if you are an African American and you don't know if you are going to be gunned down for a minor infraction or shot while playing in a park. Shoot first. It is the great equalizer.

If violence fails it is only because you are not using enough. Tell that to Jesus. Tell that to Ghandi. Tell that to MLK. Unfortunately in this Grand Republic nothing changes until a fair amount of blood is spilled.

Yeah, that's the answer, tuco...inspire/suggest "the minorities

shoot up Goldman Sachs....that'll help. EGADS!!!

Why not Jainie? The police have firebombed housing projects in Philadelphia.

This is how we do things here.

No great struggle in this country ever gets settle without a body count.

It is who we are.

Again...thanks Ik911, for a thoughtful response.

Jainie The NRA helped draft the National Firearms Act of 1934. It is the "thoughtful responses" of the present day NRA that keeps us from having sane gun laws. My suggestion of the minorities shooting up Goldman Sachs is reference to the last time the NRA supported gun restrictions. This was when the Black Panthers marched in California with rifles and shotguns.

80% of the American people would like to see more restrictions on guns. A majority of NRA rank and file do too. The "thoughtful responses" of the NRA lobbyists keep it from happening.

So I am saying if we aren't going to change than embrace who we are. A violent, racist, greedy bunch of semi-illiterate gun toting hicks who are fat as hell and believe anything told to us by beautiful women with plunging necklines and lots of leg showing.

And it is all justified by screaming at the top of your lungs. I love America!!!

Even as a metaphor, that's pretty lame.

It is how we are perceived by the rest of the world.

Screaming at the top of our lungs? C'mon....

We hosted some French students two years ago and the thing that amazed them the most was how many U.S. flag there were everywhere.

Quiet flags. Envied patriotism.

Even more so than how lousy the food was and how fat everyone was.

envied patriotism. <<< Chauvinism.

No other peoples love their country more than Americans. sheesh.

Not kidding.

That has been used to justify agression. We love our fatherland more than they love theirs so we should take it over and show them true patriotism and love of homeland.

Pihhht.... Where do you get that stuff?

The indigenous people are savages and we will love this land more than they ever could.

History

Citation? Document?

Really? Uh Every war of conquest since the beginning of time. You want specifics. Check out the history of the U.S. and what happened to the people who originally inhabited this land.

Start with Prof. Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States. It is free. You can read it here.

http://www.historyisaweapon.com/zinnapeoplesh\nistory.html

Sol you're saying you don't know any good evidence.

Oh my god. What is good evidence if not historical fact. Drive by or better yet visit any Indian nation in this country.

We were debating "Yelling at the top of our lungs."

We were debating "Yelling at the top of our lungs."

Okay, you got me there. They only whisper it. Hi Sean, thank you for taking my call, you are a Great American. Thank you for calling, you are a Great American too.

So?????

So the meaning of that exchange is that if you disagree with them you are not a Great American. You hate America. You are trying to destroy America

When the reality is that what people who speak out against violence, against special interest and the status quo are no different than the abolitionists and civil rights leaders. They love America too and want to make it a better place.

You've just admitted you don't understand patriotism.

I understand it. A true patriot defends his country when it is right and works to change it when it is wrong.

The anti-war activist is no less a patriot then anyone else.

John Brown was no less a patriot than William Tecumseh Sherman. But Jefferson Davis was not a patriot to the U.S. nor was anyone else who took up arms against the Union. They were traitors.

Bernie Sanders is no less a patriot than Donald Trump.

Dick Cheney is no less a patriot than someone who never got a deferment and served multiple tours in viet nam.

It all depends on what side of history you want to be on. Do you want to have stood for Good or not?

Or you could just not care. Seacrest out.

So to you, Patriotism equals hatred of American values. Period.

last time I checked we pledged our loyalty to this country with the words "liberty and JUSTICE for ALL" If any person in our Republic is being denied due process that should concern us ALL. Marching to protest injustice is as American as apple pie, The colonists did it and so has every generation to protest the injustices of their age. Standing up for justice is much more patriotic than mouthing exceptionalistic rhetoric.

You too Ionebelle? "Mouthing" hatred of America is more patriotic than pride in America?

go

dng, greens and a guess

Unlike, how does what I said make you think I hate America? I am sorry I said "mouthing", it does sound disrespectful.

Just wondering. Who are these people marching and protesting and standing up for justice you're talking about? The New Black Panthers?

Tuco: you won't be happy until we give the country back to the Indians.

I wonder if anyone here knows what American Exceptionalism is? It is not the concept that we are better people than anyone else. It is the concept that our form of government has blessed us with more freedom than any other country in history and as a consequence the American people (just ordinary folks) have accomplished extraordinary things. We are the example to the rest of the world of what can be done when people anywhere are free to follow their dreams.

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Tuco: maybe your French students would understand why Americans love their country if they just contrast the process of naturalization here and in France. As French nationals they could choose to become American citizens. Once they get their citizenship, they are Americans. But you or I could never become Frenchmen. We could become naturalized French citizens, but we would never be French!